Carrots Are Not Just For Bunnies

Carrots

Carrots Are Not Just For Bunnies

We pulled our first carrots from the garden last night! Sweet little tender beauties, we quickly devoured them in a salad made from garden fresh butter crunch lettuce, peas, strawberries and raw almonds ( fresh from the market). Topped with just a just a drizzle of vinaigrette. Yum. Why am I sharing the specifics about our salad? I forgot to take a photo On a side note we gave some carrot pieces to Izzy too. He loves carrots. They are his treats.

I love learning new things.I did a little research and discovered that carrots are a root vegetable that originated in the Middle East. They are part of the Umbelliferae family. Their other family members include celery, parsley, dill, cilantro, caraway, cumin, and….. the poisonous hemlock!

Hippocrates created a soup made of carrots, celery, parsley, and leeks. He must not have realized how great they are in a fresh salad with a bit of vinaigrette.

Dutch carrot growers invented the orange carrot in the 16th century for the Dutch Royal Family by crossing yellow carrots with red carrots, which increased the beta carotene and produced the orange color.

Orange carrots made their way to England in 1558 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and British ladies would use carrot tops to decorate their hats. We Brits love our hats!

Carrots arrived in the North America in 1607 and later Thomas Jefferson grew them in his garden in 1814.

One cup of raw carrots contains about 52 calories.

Yes, carrots are good for your vision. They contain beta carotene and are high in vitamin A which is a nutrient essential for good vision.

Now here’s some info I know well- Plant carrot seeds in rows about two feet apart and plant the seeds about 1/2 inch deep and 1-2 inches apart. There are several varieties of carrots. Ours are Scarlet Nantes

Carrots can be harvested at almost any time in their growth cycle providing the tops can be seen . Baby carrots are a delicious!

Well that’s it my sweet bloggy friends. Some fun facts about carrots. Carrots are not just for bunnies

Now I have a desire to watch a bugs bunny cartoon and start using the phrase “what’s up doc?”

Did I share something today that you didn’t know?

See you at the Thursday Favorite Things hop!

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Great info, Katie. I didn’t know a lot of these – especially how carrots got their colour. Something to remember the next time I buy some. I didn’t grow any in the garden this year because I wasn’t happy with last year’s yield – for some reason I didn’t get very many. I’ll give it another go next year.